Bird in a Cage
by Axxit
Summary: Cursed to be stuck as a bird, Marco's taken captive by some poachers. He struggles as he tries escaping back to his family and crew, until he gets help from pirate hating Mercenary Ace, who just happens to have a soft spot for animals… MarcoXAce Different Devil fruit & Mercenary Ace.
1. Saving a Life

Bird in a Cage

 **{Hey guys. I recently updated my fish tank to a larger one, and as I was watching them swim around in their new home, this idea came to me… *Cough* yes I was imagining my fish turning into a human and being in love with me, yes I have a lot of issues *Cough* Anyways Enjoy. }**

 **Summary: Cursed to be stuck as a bird, Marco's taken captive by some poachers. He struggles as he tries escaping back to his family and crew, until he gets help from pirate hating mercenary Ace, who just happens to have a soft spot for animals… MarcoXAce Different Devil fruit & Mercenary Ace.**

 **I always did love my Mercenary Ace…. ;)**

* * *

He huffed, looking over his work. The man was clad in a cloak, not much could be seen except for some bags attached to his waist. Wiping some sweat off his brow, he turned back to the marine.

He extended his hand, and nodded as a rather heavy bag was handed to him. Content with the reward, he walked away.

"Pleasure doing business with you as always, Mangkr."

He didn't respond, instead he scoffed, eyes flashing gold for a split second as long, bat like wings erupted from his back. A large gust of wind could be felt as he vanished.

* * *

It had taken the raven a bit of time to find the next island, but he did. Landing in the forest as to not arise any panic, Ace grinned as he landed, wings immediately disappearing. He never really had a problem with flying, actually really enjoying it, but doing it non stop for a long amount of time could become quite tiring.

As he stopped to stretch, Ace heard the familiar sound of his stomach. 'When was the last time I ate?' Not having the answer to his own question, Ace sighed, heading off to find a town.

* * *

Ace had ended up in a little village. It wasn't really that crowded, with the exception of the few village and travels he'd pass by on the streets. Wandering around, he gazed at the shops, looking for anything interesting he could come back to. When nothing caught his eye, he settled on a nearby tavern. Opening the door, he was immediately met with the stench of alcohol, and considering how many people there were, he figured he found where all the travelers came. Upon seeing his arrival, a waitress quickly gestured him to an empty seat, where he was left with a menu. As he looked over the menu, he couldn't help but overhear.

"F-F-FIFTY MILLION?! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

Eyebrow raised in curiosity, Ace peered over. There were two men, sitting across from one another.

"Do you know what it took for me to get this bird? There are no others of this species. Fifty million or I find another buyer."

"B-But I-I can get yo-"

"All ready to order Sir?"

"Huh?" Looking up, he was met with the sight of the waitress. He chuckled awkwardly as he looked back to the menu. "Ah yes. May I have the steak please?"

"And how would you like that cooked?"

"Medium rare."

Writing the order down, she smiled as she said,"It'll be out shortly," then disappeared back to the kitchen. As he looked back, Ace was a little disappointed to see the two men gone. Shrugging, he figured it wasn't important.

* * *

After Ace had eaten, he headed down to the dock. He was never really one for staying in one place for too long, and since he was too tired to fly, he figured he could get himself a boat. From his many mercenary jobs, he could probably finally afford to buy one. As he neared the docks, Ace could hear yelling. Increasing his speed, Ace glared at what he saw. A man was kicking a cage, and judging from the cawing coming from it, it was inhabited. Ace grabbed the man's arm and pulled him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The man struggled against the raven's hold, but Ace was stronger.

"Getting rid of this damn bird! He cost me 70 million, but no one want to buy him! HE'S USELESS! I WAS RIPPED OFF!"

The man ripped free from Ace's hold, and rushed to the cage, grabbing it, and throwing it over the docks. Ace's eyes widened, and he moved without thinking. Wings sprouting in a flash, Ace caught the bird mid flight, inches away from the water. Sighing in relief, Ace flew back to the docks, setting the cage down next to him. He glared at the man, who was shaking as he looked at Ace with wide eyes. Bringing up a shaky finger, he pointed at the teen.

"W-W-What are you?M-MONSTER!"

The man backed away as Ace slowly got closer.

"I don't want any trouble, just give me the key to the bird's cage."

The man tripped, and fell on his back. Looking at Ace with fearful eyes, he dug through his pockets. Throwing the key at Ace, he screamed.

"NOW GO AWAY YOU MONSTER!"

Ace gritted his teeth as he headed back to the cage. Taking the money out of his satchel, he threw it at the man. Bird in hand, he hopped on the man's ship.

"I'm taking this."

 **(Alrighty loves! I'm afraid that's it for now. Let me know what you think, if this story is interesting or nah. Anyways favorite, follow, and review if you get the chance. All that jazz. Bye for now!**

 **-Axx)**


	2. Stuck Together

**{Alright guys, thanks for all the support! Here I present you with chapter two!**

 **-Axx}**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Mysteryreader6626: Oooooo. Thanks for the review! Please do next time you get the chance! Also sorry about the pairing thing, I did it but I think it didn't work. Didn't notice till you mentioned it, but I'll change it when I upload this.**

 **TifaCAT: Thank you! Ikr! It's gonna be a wild ride. ;)**

 **Poemado: Nah I won't. I'm just finicky. I go back and forth then sideways and diagonal… But I'll get around to the others.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

Looking up to the clear sky, Ace sighed. It didn't take long, but he was finally out in open waters. No other ship in sight, the raven was comfortable enough to remove his cloak. To which he did. Throwing it lazily somewhere he could get it later, Ace dug into his pocket, pulling out a small silver key. He twirled it around in his fingers as he inspected the small thing. A small smile ghosted his face as he walked over to where he had set down the cage. Crouching down, he finally got a good look at the creature. Its feathers were fluffed up, and covered in grime and other specs of trash. Overall it looked to be horribly taken care of. ' _No wonder no one wanted to buy this poor thing. It looks like it's ready to keel over.'_

"You poor thing."

Ace's face was sympathetic as his eyes met the others. The bird was as far away from him as possible, clearly not trusting the raven. Not that Ace could particularly blame the thing. Sighing, Ace got up, and disappeared into the cabin.

* * *

 _ **~Marco's POV~**_

* * *

"You poor thing."

Now without the cloak on, Marco could get a better look at his savior. His eyes widened as he looked the teen over, because well, that's what he was. He didn't expect the other to be this young, and that brought more questions into his mind. What was he doing sailing alone? The kid didn't even look older than 17. Marco turned his head slightly in confusion as the other sighed, got up, and left. He watched the teen's silhouette disappear into the cabin. Then, after a few minutes, reappear with a small container. The raven came back and sat in front of the cage.

"Alright birdie. I'm gonna let you go now, but I need to clean you first…..alright?"

Marco could hear the nervousness in the other's voice, probably expecting him to bolt as soon as the door opened. It shocked both of them when instead, Marco slowly walked out to in front of the teen. The other's eyes widened.

"Woah. Didn't actually expect you to stay…Alright well." Marco's eyes widened as a bright grin erupted on the teen. He was starstruck as his eyes could only focus on his smile. He decided in that moment he liked the smiling teen.

"Okay...Hold still birdie…"

Before Marco could process, a damp towel was placed on him. Within seconds he felt warm hands massaging the towel across his body, and damn did it feel good. He heard the teen soft hum as he worked his way around Marco, taking great attention to clean off each and every feather. Marco closed his eyes as he started to drift off.

"Done."

His eyes snapped open as the towel was taken away, and he'd admit it was disappointing. But he supposed all things have to end eventually. Looking at his feathers, Marco had to admit the kid did do a pretty good job. It's been quite some time since he last saw himself so clean. Taking a moment to shake off his feathers, Marco looked up and the teen, and softly cawed. The teen's eyes widened for a second before he laughed.

"No problem birdie."

Grinning as much as he could in the body of a bird, Marco spread his wings. He could finally go back. Flapping his wings, Marco pushed himself off the floor. Marco made it up a few feet, before he found himself plummeting back to the Earth. His eyes widened. This had never happened to him before. Frantically flapping as he tried to save himself, he began to screech. But that didn't stop his fall.

* * *

 _ **~Ace's POV~**_

* * *

Ace watched the bird with a soft smile. He could see the other's happiness, and he could understand why. The creature was finally free. Ace could only imagine how awful being locked up in a cage for, who knows how long, can be. Ace stood up as the other flew away, watching him fly farther and farther... And closer?

"What the?"

Then Ace heard the screeching, and he knew something was wrong.

"Shit! Hang on birdie I got you!"

Ace ran to where the other was falling, successfully catching the other before he hit the hard ground. The creature squirmed in his hands, still panicking. Ace flinched as one of the bird's long talons cut his arm.

"It's okay! Calm down!"

Slowly coming into terms that he couldn't fly, the bird calmed down. Sighing, Ace crouched down and set the bird down on the floor. Staying crouched down, Ace moved to touch the bird's wings. Making sure the creature let him first, Ace extended the long blue wing and examined it. His eyes widened as he found the problem.

"...They clipped your wings."

Ace watched sympathetically as realization flashed across the bird's face. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm, and he flinched, catching the birds attention. He looked down. It had seemed that the bird had cut his arm pretty bad, as a gash from his wrist to elbow screamed for medical attention.

"Ah shit."

Holding his wound to prevent blood from dripping, Ace rushed over to the cabin to stop the bleeding before it became worse.

* * *

~Marco's POV~

* * *

"...They clipped your wings."

Marco's eyes widened as realization washed over him. It could be up to a year before he regained his ability to fly. He clenched his eyes shut as he mentally cursed. A picture of his family flashed in his mind. Their smiling faces only made him sadder. All his hopes of seeing them again soon were shattered. He sighed. It looks like he might be here for a while.

"Ah shit."

His attention turned to the raven, or more specifically, the gash in said raven's arm. His eyes widened as the other got up quickly, rushing to go treat the wound. Realization hitting him, he looked down, seeing the same crimson liquid staining his talons. Cursing again, he rushed after the teen.

When Marco finally made it to the cabin, guilt whelmed up inside him. The kid was wrapping up his arms with bandages when Marco cawed. Finished treating the wound, the teen turned towards him, crouching down in front of him. A soft smile made it's way onto his face.

"Ah this? Don't worry about it. I've had worse."

Still guilty, Marco cawed again, curing his inability to speak. The boy only chuckled, reaching out to pet his head.

"It's okay. Besides, you have more things to worry about."

The raven sighed, as his eyes shifted to Marco's wings.

"Sorry about that little guy. Looks like you'll be stuck with me till the next island."

Marco watched as he extended a hand, grin coming back to his face.

"Ace."

' _Ace.'_ Marco thought the name in his head. It fit the teen, he decided. Extending his foot out to meet the other's hand, the two shook.

"Now...What should I call you birdie?"

* * *

 **{Alright! WOhoooo. Go favorite, follow, and fucking review. Do it. Erm…. I mean please? Anyways, enjoy yer life. Have a great day. See you next time!**

 **-Axx}**


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